Brahma N. Singh’s research while affiliated with National Botanical Research Institute and other places

Plants have long served as a valuable source of bioactive components in traditional ayurvedic remedies for disease prevention. In our research, we explored an underutilized plant species, Cordia dichotoma G. Forst. Our findings revealed that cordia fruits are rich source of dietary carbohydrates (30.06%), dietary fibers (17.6%) and crude proteins (6.67%). The cordia fruits found in substantial amount of macro-minerals namely K (19,652.04 ppm), Na (3755.10 ppm), Mg (1763.94 ppm) and Ca (1676.81 ppm) and micro-minerals including Fe (220.89 ppm), Zn (34.87 ppm), Mn (15.82 ppm) and Cu (10.64 ppm). Cordia fruits are also found with phenolic compounds including Gallic acid (4.45 μg/mg (CD Aq), 3.76 μg/mg (CD 50%), 3.06 μg/mg (CD 90%), Caffeic acid (3.14 μg/mg (CD Aq), 2.59 μg/mg (CD 50%), 1.39 μg/mg (CD 90%), Vanillic acid ( 0.15 μg/mg (CD Aq), 0.02 μg/mg (CD 50%), 0.20 μg/mg (CD 90%) and Syringic acid (0.52 μg/mg (CD Aq), 0.88 μg/mg (CD 50%), 0.01 μg/mg (CD 90%). These results suggested the potential role of cordia fruits in our dietary system which not only assist in food security but also provide economic security to the local farmers.

Amaranthus (family Amaranthaceae) is a potentially nutritious pseudocereal also known as a functional food owing to its high nutritional quality grains especially rich in essential amino acids. Emerging study, however, unambiguously indicates that apart from essential nutrients like protein, other phytochemicals present in amaranth seeds provide excellent health benefits. Squalene is one such phytonutrient found in Amaranthus seeds, which is also its largest vegetal source. In this research work, GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy-based metabolomics have been utilized for the compositional analysis of Amaranthus seeds coupled with a multivariate data set. Investigation of nonpolar and polar seed extracts of six different cultivars of amaranth identified 47 primary and secondary metabolites. One-way ANOVA showed significant quantitative metabolic variations in different cultivars of amaranth. Multivariate principal component analysis of both the GC-MS and NMR analyzed data broadly classified in two groups showed significant variations in the polar (lysine, arginine, GABA, and myoinositol) and nonpolar (squalene, tryptophan, and alkylated phenols, which are potential nutraceutical agents) metabolites. The squalene content estimated using HPLC varied significantly (1.61 to 4.72 mg g–1 seed dry weight) among six different cultivars. Positive correlations were found among the cellular antioxidant activity and squalene content. Cultivar AM-3 having the maximum squalene content showed the highest antioxidant activity evaluated on the cellular level over human embryonic kidney cells, clearly revealing potent intercellular reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity and strong membrane lipid peroxidation inhibition potential. Oxidative stress markers such as MDA, SOD, GSH, and CAT levels in cells further corroborated the research work. The study also indicated high concentrations of lysine (80.49 mg g–1 dry seeds) in AM-2, squalene (0.47% by weight) in AM-3, and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol (18.64% peak area) and myoinositol (79.07 mg g–1 dry seeds) in AM-5. This novel comparative metabolomic study successfully profiles the nutrient composition of amaranth cultivars and provides the opportunity for the development of nutraceuticals and natural antioxidants from this functional food.

A high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the simultaneous quantitative determination and validation of syringic acid, gallic acid, p-coumarin, and caffeic acid in the methanolic extract of different parts of Carica papaya L. was developed for the first time. For achieving good separation, the mobile phase of toluene–ethyl acetate–glacial acetic acid (8.5:1.5:0.1, V/V) was used. Densitometric determination was carried out at specified wavelength for different standard compounds, in refection/absorption mode. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 100‒600 ng per spot. During the analysis, the methanolic extract of different parts of C. papaya showed the presence of syringic acid 0.91% in seeds and p-coumarin 0.81% in roots. The proposed method is simple, precise, specific, and accurate. The obtained data can be used for routine analysis of reported biomarkers in crude drug and extracts. This article deals with the comparison of the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of various parts of C. papaya. The evaluation of the total phenolic content (TPC) revealed high antioxidant potential of the leaf and fruits. The free radical scavenging potential of the methanolic extracts indicated the seeds to have better 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity than roots. The simultaneous quantification and method validation of these biomarkers have not yet been reported for C. papaya and may be utilized for the proper standardization of the plant.

Globally, fruit and vegetables are consumed as raw, processed, or as an additive, accounting for approximately 50% of total food wastage. Among the fruits and vegetables, onion is well known for its potential bioactive components; however, peels of onion are a major concern for the environment and food industries. Effective utilization of onion peel methods should be needed to develop value-added products, which are more eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable. Therefore, this review attempts to emphasize the conventional and emerging techniques of onion peel waste to generate value-added products. Several vital applications including anticancerous, antiobesity, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities are thoroughly discussed. The findings showed that the use of advanced technologies like ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and enzymatic extraction demonstrated improved extraction efficiency and higher yield of bioactive compounds, which showed the anticancerous, antiobesity, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, in-depth studies are recommended to elucidate the mechanisms of action and potential synergistic effects of the bioactive compounds derived from onion peel waste, and to promote the sustainable utilization of onion peel waste in the long-term.

Abstract Termitomyces are found associated with termites and show an exo-symbiotic relationship with termites. Both termites and Termitomyces are important in forest ecosystems for wood degradation. The morphological diversity of Termitomyces mushrooms as observed in Assam is high similar to other forest-rich regions of India. But the genetic diversity and species diversity from the region is not yet documented well. In the present study, DAMD and ISSR markers were applied for genetic diversity estimation and nrDNA ITS marker was applied for the phylogenetic study of the Termitomyces mushrooms collected from diferent localities of Assam. Besides, morphological characters were compared to the existing species monographs to identify the species. Based on morpho-molecular studies, the species identifed are T. heimii, T. microcarpus, and T. eurrhizus. Five morphotypes of Termitomyces diferent from the existing species descriptions are recorded and are also sub-clustered distinctly and distantly in a phylogenetic tree generated based on nrDNA ITS sequences. The presence of novel species of Termitomyces is very much likely in the region which needs further taxonomic engagements to establish the neo species through valid publication.